Rounds are over and more players than ever are posting scores.
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Do you keep score?
The USGA does. As part of its end-of-year accounting, the governing body crunched data from 2024 and used information from more than 77 million results published by the World Handicap System (WHS) to compile the first report highlighting domestic golfer participation.
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but data can also provide a vivid portrait. In this case, what do the numbers show?
First, like so many other things in golf, WHS participation is increasing. In 2024, more than 3.35 million golfers in the United States maintained a handicap, an increase of 6% from last year and an increase of nearly 30% since 2020. In fact, they set a record with more than 13.7 million nine-hole scores, an 8% increase over last year and a 40% increase over 2020.
These nine-hole tournaments are particularly popular among female golfers who set handicaps in 2024; they choose to play the nine-ball more than half the time (newly registered male golfers play the nine-ball about a quarter of the time).
These numbers back up what you might suspect: shorter outings are a great way to ease into the game.
They also reflect broader trends. Short-term courses are all the rage, and they can be found everywhere from local municipal facilities to destination resorts. Many compact courses are par 3s, and these courses are eligible this year for course and slope ratings and for scores to be posted for games played on these courses.
Changes like these are part of the USGA’s ongoing efforts to make the WHS as faithfully reflective of how the sport is played across the country as possible.
“As the world’s handicapping systems mature, it’s exciting to see year-on-year trends develop,” Steve Edmondson, managing director of handicapping and course ratings at the governing body, said in a statement. He said the data has been used to inform a range of changes, “including updates to the way nine-hole scoring is handled for handicap purposes.”
Data can also help bust myths. Handicap maintenance is widely considered a practice reserved for hardcore golfers competing in elite events. The numbers show otherwise. Of the 77 million rounds released in 2024, 94.5% will be recreational. Games and posts for entertainment purposes are on the rise.
As for whether you play well or not, it all depends on your standards. A year-end data-driven snapshot reveals the following about U.S. golfers: Male golfers have an average handicap of 14.2; female players have an average handicap of 28.7. On average, male players scored higher (23.8), while female players averaged 19.6.
There’s more in the report, including tidbits of cocktail party conversation. What is the most popular month for posting scores? It’s no surprise: June. A state where 18-hole golf is popular? That’s Nevada, where such races account for 93 percent of posted scores. Meanwhile, Maine is the leader in highest percentage (32.6) of nine-hole rounds in the clubhouse
The release of all this data coincides with technological changes designed to make handicapping easier and more attractive than ever before. These changes include a newly designed GHIN mobile app, as well as an upgraded version of GHIN Rewind, a fun and informative feature that provides golfers with a personal year-over-year review and provides information on handicap index changes, total rounds played , the hardest and easiest statistics courses, the most played courses, and more. As 2024 draws to a close, you can see a breakdown of games from the past 12 months. Here are some of my statistics, just for reference:
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As long as you keep your word, you can do the same thing in 2025. You must retain and publish your scores. If you haven’t registered yet, you can register here.
